Full Year Almost Flat at Unilever

Unilever posted a small rise in full-year net profit sales, cashing in at €4.25 billion ($5.6 billion) from €4.24 billion in the same period a year ago, according to reports.

The company said 2012 will be a difficult year as growth in emerging markets, which accounts for more than half its business, slows and demand in Europe and North America stays flat at best, said reports.

Finance director Jean-Marc Huet said growth in emerging markets such as Africa, Asia and Latin America stayed strong but the company needed to do better in Russia and Eastern Europe where its performance was sluggish.

Huet added that the global economy was in poor shape and so there will not be many price rises this year as the group needs to take into account the fragile nature of consumer confidence after its fourth quarter growth relied heavily on price hikes, according to reports.